Holy - Monday Musing, April 5, 2021

Dear Church,

Holy. Exalted or worthy of complete devotion, having a divine quality. Last week we celebrated Holy Week, which began with the commemoration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, climaxing with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and concluding yesterday on Easter. Holy Week is the most sacred week in the Church year. While we had many services this past week, what made the week Holy for you?

Was it attending Sunday worship or the other special services, either in-person or online, hearing familiar passages from scripture read, the musical offerings, the arrival of spring, or the nostalgic memories of Holy Weeks past? We all came into Lent with different expectations this year. Every year during Lent we are given the opportunity to intentionally pause and reflect on our faith journey. We are invited to look at our lives and let go of hopelessness, fears, and distractions. We consider new ways to show how the love of God might be born anew in our lives. Did that happen for you?

We feel closer to God at different times in our lives. Sometimes we need to feel God’s presence most, so we draw closer to God; other times we push God away. It is a Holy moment when we recognize that God is walking with us on our journey of faith. But our closeness to God is not restricted to certain times or particular places. While I felt a strong spiritual connection during my pilgrimages to The Holy Land, my sense of the Holy is not limited to only those times and that solitary place.

The presence of God, the Holy One, the power of Jesus Christ in our lives, and the movement of God’s Holy Spirit are available to us wherever and whenever we seek that connection. Although the season of Lent has ended, and we have now entered the season of Eastertide, our search for the Holy need not come to an end. During Eastertide, we grow in our recognition of Jesus as the Christ alive in our midst and empowering us for discipleship as a community of faith.

May the Lenten season past, as well as the present season of Eastertide, bring you closer to the Holy. See you in church.

Faithfully,

Darren